Robinson+Cole Receives Presidential Award for Export Service - the only law firm recognized among 48 awardees from across the U.S.

Jeff White and Kevin Daly received the award on behalf of the firm presented by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert B. Kaplan at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Secretary Ross said “Robinson+Cole has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The "E" Awards Committee was very impressed with Robinson+Cole's work of broad impact within the business community to further expand U.S. exports. Your company's case studies demonstrating measurable export growth achieved by its clients were also particularly notable. Robinson+Cole's achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.” Pleased to meet with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (not pictured) and honored to have R+C alumna, Joanne Rapuano, Chief Compliance Officer, North America for Embraer Executive Aircraft, Inc. join us in Washington, D.C.

The Connecticut Law Tribune honored four Robinson+Cole lawyers at the publication’s 2019 CT Legal Awards

Business Litigation Group lawyer James Wade received the Tribune’s Lifetime Achievement Award as a lawyer “who has left a lasting imprint on the legal community of Connecticut.” Bankruptcy and Reorganizations Group lawyer Patrick Birney was recognized as a Distinguished Leader who “achieved impressive results in 2018 and demonstrated clear leadership skills that helped (him) achieve those results.” Benjamin Jensen, Business Litigation, and Abby Warren, Labor and Employment, were named New Leaders in the Law. This distinction spotlights lawyers under the age of 40 who have excelled in the courtroom, in client service and cultivation, in service to bar associations, and/or in performing pro bono work or community service in a volunteer capacity.

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Robinson+Cole Honored as “Volunteer of the Year” by Pro Bono Partnership

Robinson+Cole was honored with the “Volunteer of the Year” distinction by the Pro Bono Partnership (the Partnership) during an event hosted by the organization in celebration of volunteer lawyers who provided free legal services to nonprofit organizations throughout Connecticut in 2018. In addition to the firm’s Hartford law department being recognized, employment litigator and counselor Stephen W. Aronson was presented with an individual “Volunteer of the Year” honor for his outstanding individual contributions.

As the number of women practicing law continues to grow, firms are striving to accommodate women attorneys who want to both practice and have a family. The New York Law Journal reported recently that a number of young female attorneys intent on pursuing their careers are becoming more interested in freezing their eggs, in order to have more time to focus on advancement toward partnership. In this article from the CT Law Tribune on April 24, 2019, Connecticut attorneys identified flexibility as being an integral element in developing supportive policies.

Partner Rachel Kushel, a mother of two and co-vice chair of the firm’s women’s committee, said that while she hasn’t heard from female colleagues about freezing their eggs, she agrees that supportiveness and flexibility are important at the management level to ensure all lawyers are free to raise families. “We just revamped our parental leave policy to provide even greater support to our attorneys who are embarking on family planning issues, and we have family leave mentors. One of the tenets of the new program is flexibility. We wanted a program that works for individuals and families,” Kushel said.

Kushel explained that Robinson+Cole has broadened its parental leave policy, opening it up to both child-bearing and non-birthing parents, regardless of gender. She said, “I think there is less perception that it’s only a women’s issue. It’s a family issue that’s applicable to both genders.” Kushel said that results in firms like R+C expanding their family leave policies to women and men across the board, in traditional and same-sex couples. And, that the firm’s policies are constantly evolving.

“Our parental leave policy can be used intermittently by both parents, regardless of gender, and families can be adaptive,” continued Kushel. “We have embraced all of those issues, recognizing that no one policy fits all, so we have really increased the flexibility in how to best support families.”

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Welcome to Robinson+Cole, an Am Law 200 firm serving regional, national, and international clients from eleven offices throughout the Northeast, Florida, and California. Our 200-plus lawyers and other professionals share a simple, common goal: We’ll work hard to know you, your industry, and your business so that we can provide the service and representation that best fits your needs.